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Ealing Broadway 1901

Have you ever wondered what Ealing looked like a hundred years ago. Well there are plenty of photos around that show you what is was like but i came across a video the other day of Ealing Broadway in 1901, a video, well a film more than video. It is not a long film but the quality is good and it really so much more than a still photo. The awnings in the front of the shop blowing in the breeze, the horse and cart, children running in front of the tram.

The Ealing tram had its opening ceremony in 1901 and started in Southhall and ran through Ealing Broadway. The film was made by the prolific American-born William Kennedy-Laurie Dickson (a former Edison associate who moved to Britain in 1897), was one of many such films, though it is of particular interest to local historians because it has been preserved in such good condition. The film shows a panorama of Ealing from a Moving Tram (1901) is an excellent example of a 'phantom ride', a film that was usually made with the intention of screening it at fairgrounds and advertised on the basis of the film's local interest ("See yourselves as others see you" would have been a typical advertising phrase). If members of the audience were unlucky enough not to spot themselves or someone they knew, they were at least guaranteed to recognise something, even if it was only a glimpse of their high street.

You can watch or download it from our google drive. Just click image below